Grrrr....

I'm growling in annoyance b/c my pediatrician's website was down, so I couldn't book an appointment online...I had to wait til the dumb office opened this morning at 8:00 a.m., to make one over the phone. One might recall that school starts at 8:00 a.m., too. Anyway, I FINALLY get the lady on the line, only to learn that my doctor has Tuesdays off. Who knew?

So, I went in and pulled T out of bed, got her dressed, and we were late for school. Pulled in around 8:30 a.m. We'll be late again tomorrow, as our appointment is at 8:30 in the morning. I'll be asking to get an H1N1 virus shot for her. Found out this afternoon that a kid at her school has come down with it. First case. Luckily, the sick child is not in her grade, but its better to be safe than sorry.

That's it for now.

Dr. Appt.

Now that my trial has been continued, I'm taking T into the doctor. I've been meaning to do that as she has had a chronic dry cough for the past two months or more. Took her in last month, and the dr pronounced that it must be allergies, and said to take zytec at night. Well, that hasn't helped much.

Cough is still there and now sometimes I hear a bit of a quick nasal snort, as if she's got a nasal drip. So, if I can get an appointment, we're going in. I'm strategically making the appointment for today, since T is refusing to wake up to go to school. Instead of a big fight, I'l letting her sleep while I wait for the office to open to make an appointment.

...a mother's job is never done!

Continued Again

yep, the judge (a new one) granted another continuance in my case that was set for trial today. Now, its set 11/30. Perfectly timed to screw up my thanksgiving day holidays. Good news is that it frees me up to deal with some of my parents' issues. Have to look on the bright side.

We went back to school today without incident, and are back to our old routine after the fun holiday weekend. When I get pics of halloween from Marie, I'll post them immediately. I know that Dot, who is in Manila, is waiting for them with baited breath.

Halloween - The Rest of the Story

So, here's the rest of the story. There always is one, isn't there?

It was hot as hell here, even for the swamp. We've been having unseasonably hot weather lately. Upside of that is that the cause apparently kept the hurricanes at bay. The other upside, is that I read in the papers that the swine flu isn't striking as hard in Fla as in other places. Bet the bug that causes it can't stand the heat. Not sure weather or not there is any validity to the report, but I like to believe it. I'm still going to get T and I vaccinated, if I can.

Here's the worst. Everyone who knows me, knows that I'm no pet lover...of any kind. I'm not anti dog or cat in general, I just don't like them. The bigger the dog, the less I like them too. I trace it back to when I was about 2 or 3, and one of my grandfather's hunting dogs jumped up on my shoulders and scared the bejesus out of me. Scratched my face. Anyway, I'm explaining this b/c neighbors of my friends went trick or treating with us....with the HUGE dog. I mean HUGE. Thing has to have weighed at least 80 - 100 pounds. Seems a sweet dog and is very docile and well behaved. The problem?

IT. STANK. TO. HIGH. HEAVEN.

Holy mother of god, I had to try and strategically stand up-wind the whole night. If I failed in my endeavor, I got the biggest whiff of dog stink that made my eyes water and brought on the desire to barf. Oy.

I'm praying for the day when they no longer want to trick or treat with the P family, my friends. Unfortunately, I think that won't happen for a very long time.

Next year, I'll so what I used to do when I would have stinky witnesses....put a bunch of perfume on the inside of my wrists, and pretend my eye itches. Sigh.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I'm happy to report that T did not look quite like Bill the Cat...but it was a close thing! I was happy with my efforts at facepainting from the eyebrows down. Eyebrows up? Not so much. I also learned its a hell of a lot harder for a right handed person to paint the left side of someone's face. The girls at disney are truly professionals!

Anyway, we lost out ears headband, so we improvised with pigtails.

We headed over to trick or treat my parents, then to my friend Marie's house, which is nearby. Marie had lots of fun things planned for the kids...she made green spaghetti in a bowl, and put toys in it. the idea was to stick your hands into the "worms" to get the "eyeballs". The kids decorated cupcakes like witches, painted faces on pumpkins that John then carved, and of course there was the highlight of the evening....trick or treating.

Like last year, T went running at top speed from street to door and then again from door to street. I don't know where she gets her energy. She got lots of candy, and hasn't asked to eat anything tonight except for 2 starburst. I think letting her gorge last night did the trick. She doesn't seem to have any interest in it any longer.

So, we're home. T is watching the new Tinkerbell movie and working a craft. Picked up one of those purses with a picture on it that one colors. Tiana-themed. So, T is quite content.

Dot, who is in the air as I type this on her way to Manila, will be annoyed to learn that I forgot my camera tonight. Not to worry, though, we took pics with Marie's camera. Just need to wait til she sends them to us.

Hope everybody had a really spooky night!

Harvest Party

Today was finally the "big day". T's "Harvest Party" at school. I also finally figured out why its a harvest party vs. a halloween party. Unlike lots of protestant religions, the catholics usually have no problem with halloween, so I was a bit surprised.

Turns out, what really happens is that the little kids, prek through 1st grade, get to wear their halloween costumes to school. The rest of the school gets to dress up "for the harvest". Lots of farmers and cowboy hats and the like.
All the kids bring a pumpkin to school, either decorated or carved, for the school's pumpkin patch, where pictures are taken and snow cones are sold. Apparently, there was also a school play that T got to watch.
All the kids are also asked to bring a can of food and a shirt with long sleeves, to be donated to migrant workers. I like that.

Its a nice compromise between wearing uniforms and letting kids dress up. It avoids the older kids who always crave the "inappropriate" costume that would likely scare the little kids. Hard to look goth and spooky with pigtail braids and overalls!
T has come home with a ton of candy, which I'm letting herself gorge herself silly on, since its halloween. I offered her dinner, but she insists on just candy.

Boy, I miss those days!

I've got a bad feeling...

...that in my quest to perfectly replicate T's wonderful disney facepainting, since I've NEVER applied facepaint to anyone before in my life, and since I really don't have that much luck putting makeup on myself, Poor T will wind up looking more like...
Bill the Cat!

Oy, the stress.

Let the Haunting Begin!

Tomorrow marks the start of our halloween festivities. T is allowed to wear a costume to school, and they will have a "Harvest Party" during school The school is also doing a pumpkin patch, that I'm sure she'll frequent. I have instructions to send a dollar to school with her, so she can purchase a snow cone. T will be taking along her very own lucky halloween dollar, provided by her Great Aunt Connie.

THANK YOU!!!!

After school, she'll be changing into shorts and a shirt for aftercare. I think Aunt Dot will be coming over fri night, to get one last T fix. She's headed off to Manila on saturday for a few weeks. Then there's Sat...

T is so excited, she can't stand it. I bought some face paints at Michaels, in hopes of replicating the disney face painting. Wish me luck. I've never face painted before. We'll be going over to the Perikles house, for some major trick or treating. So....

LET THE HAUNTING BEGIN!!

Pumpkin Update

All I can say is that its a good thing I can take the pumpkin to school tomorrow, for friday's party. Right on cue, its beginning to rot...inside my air conditioned house that is never hotter than 76 degrees. (When it comes to a/c, green I am not!)

Poor Mrs. Pumpkin has developed three spots that I touched, and my finger broke the skin. I'm hoping that she holds out another day, otherwise, we'll have to bring the little ones to school. So, she's now sporting three barbie band-aids on her chin/cheek. Looks odd, but that's the breaks.

The joys of living in a swamp.

Here Comes the Bride

So, this past sunday T and I were over at my parent's house. I took the opportunity to clean out 1/2 of their closet in their bedroom. I don't think that its ever been cleaned out since they moved in...in 1969. Got rid of about 8 big bags of junk. I'm only 1/2 done.

Anyway, one of the gems I found in their time-capsule of a closet, is the first holy communion veil worn by both my sissy and me. I made mine in 1971. My sissy a year or two before me.

T loves it. Its actually in much better shape than dot's old bridal veil. T insisted on grabbing some fake flowers, and prancing around the house pretending to be a bride.

Kept her out of my hair, at least.

I plan to look around for an old photo of me to scan in, wearing the veil, and post it with a pic of T in one of her white princess dresses. I thought of saving it for her event, but its yellowed and discolored from time, with some stains on it.

Good times!